


On The Balance

by Run



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 09:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4015063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Run/pseuds/Run
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt: imagine Steve having to convince Peggy that she'll make a good mother, when they find out their expecting & sees Peggy's nervousness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On The Balance

The night they find out the news, Steve wakes up alone in bed. A few hours earlier, Peggy had been in his arms, whispering conspiratorially about names and new wallpaper, whether they were going to buy a crib or dig up one of their old ones. She had looked so happy.

He finds her out on the porch, wrapped in only her nightgown and dressing robe despite the wintry chill of the January night. English cold, she insists, is damp and lingering, the kind you always carry with you. American winters can’t hold a candle to it.

He knows the worried air about her has nothing to do with the temperature.She looks pale, entirely motionless save for the ceaseless drumming of her fingertips on the railing. Steve doesn’t greet her, doesn’t ask what she’s doing out there, just takes his place beside her and rests his elbows on the wood, head tilted to look up at her.

“I can’t do it.” She tells him, eyes never once leaving the road outside their house. “I can’t possibly be expected to raise a child.”

They had never discussed it, not really. A few mentions of how many kids either of them would theoretically want, where they would eventually settle down to start a family. Steve had his heart set on going back to Brooklyn, while Peggy wanted to bring him back overseas with her. Their army penitents paid for a house in the exact middle of nowhere, providing them with a quiet they both grew to love. It wasn’t the place they had in mind, but Steve couldn’t care less, as long as he had her with him. He had assumed Peggy felt the same way.

“I am very good at what I do, but motherhood? I think I would prefer the war.” She mimics his stance but drops her chin into her hands, finally turning her eyes towards him. They aren’t sad. They’re resigned; giving up before she’s even began. It is deeply unsettling. “You have to be soft to be a mother, Steve. I’m not soft, and I never will be. Not once did I think I’d regret my training but I know now that I was meant to deal with international war criminals, not children.” She shakes her head, turning away again.

“Hey-hey now, come back-,” Steve leans into her, brushing up against the side of her arm and takes her hand in his. He sometimes forgets how small it is in comparison. In his moments of grief, when she reaches out for him, her hands always feel so much bigger than his, and infinitely stronger. “Who told you mothers have to be soft? That was never my experience. I know you didn’t get the chance to meet her, but rest assured, Sarah Rogers could take down a wild dog if she felt like it.”

Peggy smiles, and Steve’s world lets out a sigh. “You know, I would have very much liked to have met your mother.” 

He tucks a curl behind her ear, grazes her jaw lightly with the back of his fingers. “She would have gotten a kick outta you.” Peggy’s eyes slide back to the silent road in front of her, but she doesn’t say anything. Steve knows a cue when he sees. “So, you’re a government agent? So, you’ve got the military background every Petty Officer dreams about having? You think that’s going to stop you from loving a kid? If anything, that kind of training will give you the leg up when our combined rebellious streaks start to manifest in a mouthy ten year old.”

Peggy scoffs and quirks an eyebrow. “No child of mine will be getting cheeky around their parents.”

Steve bumps their shoulders together, and Peggy bumps back. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! This kid is going to be every teacher’s darling, the most well behaved, best looking, smartest little ankle biter on the block.”

When she faces him fully, Peggy’s smiling, honest and properly. “You really think any child you help produce could ever be called ‘well behaved’? Mr. Lies to the Recruitment Office Four Times? Mr. Sneaking Into Enemy Headquarters Behind My Superior’s Back?”

Steve winces but concedes. “I figure we’ll balance each other out.”

There is a moment of quiet, then Peggy straightens up and brings Steve with her, wrapping her arms around his torso and breathing him in. He can’t see her, but Steve knows she’s still smiling. “Yes. I believe we will.”


End file.
